Why Oliver's ukuleles are special

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The first thing you will notice when commissioning an ukulele from Oliver is that he will want to know how you play, what climate you live in, what your preferences are in wood choices, the neck profile you prefer that fits your hand well, various styles and  other details. As your ukulele is being built you will receive frequent updates with photos of the progress and you will be included in choices that can be made along the way. These include initially  picking out not only the species  of wood for various parts of your ukulele but also the actual pieces of wood. Other choices include tuning machines, inlay patterns, headstock design, strings, etc.  As you will be playing this ukulele for years to come it only seems logical that you be a part of its creation. 

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~ The way each ukulele is built is of paramount importance to Oliver. No shortcuts are taken, every part (other than strings and tuning machines) are hand built, one at a time, in his shop.

~ When the top and back are book matched and glued together, they are tuned by holding them up and tapping on different areas. The treble and base areas are then planed to the most optimal thickness that will provide the best tone. Later when the internal bracings are glued in place this process will be repeated, this time carving the braces to the optimal shape that will provide the best sound. The back and top are tuned slightly differently so that the instrument will "sing" and the vibrations off the back do not "fight" with those of the top. This eliminates "dead", "ghost" or "wolf" notes. Only hot hide glue (which is the traditional glue that has been used for centuries) is used as it does not creep and provides the best sound transference. It is at this point that the rosette is made and glued in and the sound hole is cut. Note that the back braces are carefully planed to give the back a 15 ft. radius "belly" to focus  towards the sound hole.

~ The sides are planed to thickness and then heated and hand bent to fit perfectly in the mold to dry. They also will be book matched at the tail. Once dry, the sides are sized to thickness and sanded flat by hand. The neck and tail blocks are usually mahogany and are fitted by hand to the curves at each location. Attention to accuracy is essential in these and all cuts, almost always done by hand. Once the sides are glued together (again, hot hide glue) they are flattened by hand and the kerfed linings are glued in place slightly proud of the sides so that they may be sanded perfectly flush with the sides to accept the top and back. When everything has been fitted and sized, the top and back are glued on one at a time while the sides are held to shape in the mold. (see shop pictures showing this).

~  The neck is also reinforced with a rosewood or ebony "spine" while the neck wood (usually mahogany) has been flipped to be book matched. The reason for book matching the two sides of the neck is to make the grain symmetrical on both sides, thus eliminating any possibility of warpage side to side. The ebony or rosewood spine is super strong and prevents any bowing. A very thin piece of accent wood can be included here on either side of the spine (see the walnut tenor uke for an example of this). The neck is then shaped by hand to your specifications - to fit your hand and playing style. No CNC machines are ever used in this or any other part of the build. The shaping is done with hand tools slowly and carefully, then sanded smooth.

~ The headstock can be either solid or slotted and the choices of veneers used are numerous. The headstock is jointed to the neck at an 11° angle and attached with a scarf joint, which gives superior strength. There are many choices for tuning machines and Oliver can guide you to make the right decision that fits your needs.

~ The neck is attached to the body by way of a compound dovetail joint. This is the traditional way and although it requires skill to hand cut this joint, it has proven to be the strongest way to do this.

~ The fingerboard is chosen for the best orientation of grain to provide stability. Oliver usually prefers rosewood or ebony but has used maple and other woods. The fret slots are carefully laid out and cut by hand in a miter box at exactly the correct locations and to a precise depth. The inlays are done before fretting in order to be able to flatten them perfectly flush with the fretboard. The bindings are glued in place after each slot has been dammed to prevent glue from invading the channel. These are solid wood bindings, as are the bindings on the body. No plastic or synthetic materials are ever used. Once the bindings are in place and have been made flush, the frets are hand cut to size with the tangs carefully trimmed and filled so the crown will extend over the bound edges. The frets are sanded to be perfectly in alignment with each other and on the same plane, then the crowns are reshaped on at a time and sanded and polished.